Gay marriage is legal here in Belgium for those that want it but those people who are against it are totally free not to have one. No government agency rounds up unwilling heterosexuals and religious folks to force them to have a gay marriage The Dutch did the same thing. We call it live and let live. Could this compromise work in the States? Should the positive experiences in other countries with legal gay marriage be considered in the American debate?
Politics - 17 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
I'm totally down with that. And Kurt, in my religion you go to hell if you can't use homonyms. To each their own.
2 :
here in america the states decide about gay marriage and put the issue to a vote. we call that democracy.
3 :
No and that's not a compromise, anyway. Don't be silly about this. The US was never Belgium and if the people who settled the US wanted to do what the Dutch did, they could have stayed in Holland and we wouldn't even be here today. But we have 50 states and under our US Constitution, matters not delegated to the other powers belong to the states. Marriage licensing is one of the things designated to the states. Letting states decide is called a compromise.
4 :
I think it could. The bottom line is, does anybody out there really care what two strangers do with their lives?
5 :
Just because other countries compromise on "gay marriage," doesn't mean it's right. Marriage is between a man and a woman. We should not let gays control and engineer entire societies just because of who they choose to sleep with.
6 :
Well, uh, yeah, that's the idea behind allowing same-sex couples to marry. If you're against it, don't have one. Even in this day and age, there are people against interracial marriages, but they don't hold sway, and those marriages are no less valid than marriages between two people of the same race.
7 :
I think that's the only way it would work, but then you would be denying millions of citizens their paranoid delusions about gay marriage. Should positive experiences from other countries be considered in the American debate? Haha. Has that ever happened in any other "debate" in America? In fact, I'd argue that the better something works in other countries, the less likely we are to adopt it here.
8 :
By that reasoning murder should be legal for those who want to murder but if you are against it you are free not to do it. So NO that is not a compromise--that is a complete cave in--Wrong is wrong--right is Right and never shall the two mix and be called a compromise.
9 :
While it is true we have democracy and the rule of the majority in this country, the fact is that the founding fathers were very concerned about the majority becoming repressive. They took many steps to try to protect the minorities. IMHO, we should make a distinction between civil union (legal) and marriage (religious). The government should allow civil unions between ANY two consenting adults. All legal rights should apply to all couples joined in civil union. Let the religions perform marriages any way they want, but those marriages have no impact on the legal standing of the couple. VWVW20 - murder is not between two consenting adults so your analogy is false.
10 :
The problem is that there are specific and special benefits that are provided to married people by law. We either continue to give them those special benefits or give no benefits to anyone. If we recognize gay marriage as legitimate, then no one should get any benefit.
11 :
Absolutely, yes. The position that you describe is consistent with the principles of liberty that I most value.
12 :
In theory? Of course it could work. Unfortunately.. there are just too many people here that want to dictate other people's lives instead of focusing on their own. Pity too... some of us can actually deal with living peacefully with our neighbors.
13 :
The first answer is exactly why I hate religious hypocrites
14 :
The problem is that the Christian Right in America is so full of closet Homosexuals like the preacher Ted Haggard and the Republican senator Larry Craig, and Republican congressman Foley, they are worried about losing half their members once gay people have equal rights. They will never go for it!
15 :
I don't think so, and this is why: Most Americans are bigots of some kind of another when it comes to religious issues. Many conservatives see this as a religious issue, not a civil right issue.
16 :
You may wish to look up the definition of the word 'compromise.'
17 :
Its doubtful.
